Conferences Survey Published                 (Industry)

The conferences sector has just received an informative boost with the publication of the 2008 British Conference Venues Survey (BCVS). Its  author, the British Association of Conference Destinations (BACD), promises a vital insight into the current state of the industry from a supply-side perspective. (14 July'08)

Data for the 2008 Survey was sourced from a record number of 446 reporting venues spread across the UK. This compares with 314 reporting venues in 2007 while the 2008 cohort represents almost 13% of the UK’s conference venue universe.

The report's new features include a revised methodology to provide more consistent and robust reporting. A three-year average has been compiled for the Survey findings ie. comparing results for the period 2005-7 with the previous 3-year period 2004-6. This is designed to address any inconsistencies in the sampling

Location comparisons based on city, town, rural and seaside locations are an additional new feature as are narrative comments from venues on trends noted in the market.

The BCVS 2008 shows that the UK conference market experienced a downturn in the period 2005-7 (in terms of direct revenue to venues) with an estimated value of £8 billion, compared with £9.8 billion in the 3-year period 2004-6. This reflected the reduction in the average number of conferences per venue, down from 422 in 2004-6 to 396 in 2005-7 (a decrease of about 6%).

A slight shift from residential conferences to non-overnight conferences indicated a significant economic impact since residential conferences account for almost two-thirds of overall venue income.

Other Key BCVS Report Findings

Shorter lead times 30% of venues noted a shortening of lead times in recent years, with many venues commenting that this was now becoming the norm

Tighter budgets 11% of venues reported greater pressure on client budgets, although achieved day and residential rates were similar to the previous three-year period

CSR/Green issues A greater interest in, and awareness of, green issues and a demand for Fairtrade/organic catering, accompanied by an increasing demand to meet special dietary requirements

Importance of the not-for-profit sector Growing importance of public sector and association conferences now accounts for 52% of all meetings and conferences. By contrast, the number of corporate meetings and conferences forms just 48% of all events held

Dominance of city venues Huge investments in infrastructure and facilities by city destinations see city venues host, on average, 423 conferences a year while rural areas venues staged an average 244 conferences in 2007.


Tony Rogers, BACD Chief Executive  “BCVS is a crucial barometer of what’s happening in the conference sector and should be required reading for anyone who needs an informed view of the trends and changes in our sector. We are delighted with the support we have received in compiling the data – it really is a team effort and is a tangible demonstration of the industry working together for the benefit of all. I would also like to thank TEAMTourism Consulting for their invaluable work in interpreting BCVS data and writing the Survey report.”



Copies of the ‘British Conference Venues Survey 2008’, priced at £140, may be ordered from BACD (email: sarahm@bacd.org.uk or visit: www.bacd.biz).

RK  _________________________________________